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Do you know anyone that is oblivious to the world affairs/domestic affairs outside of

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  • 25-10-2020 8:45pm
    #1
    wally1990
    Registered Users Posts: 1,222 ✭✭✭


    **outside of their own bubble**



    I was speaking with a women from work (she is about 38-45 I'd say), who I normally don't ever speak with and it amazed me how just oblivious she was to most things as we ended up talking for ages on different things

    I brought up in conversation about the current Chinese, USA trade war and she knew nothing about about it, fair enough (tough subject

    Then I mentioned trump v Biden, she knew nothing about USA politics or who even Biden was or didn't know there was an election or how long trump is in power,

    Then we were chatting about the hospital admission numbers and current covid in Ireland then she had no clue at all about the numbers, how like?!? Surely people talk to her about it or hear it on radio, TV, news, whatever

    At this stage I thought this woman doesn't listen or follow any news or world politics and maybe purposely ignored it but the Irish ignorance shocked me

    Then she was on about TV and I mentioned netflix, she never heard of it, I was like wtf, you never even heard of it?

    It just got me thinking about people that live in their own bubble and go through life without wanting to or paying absolutely any attention to what is happening around them or in the world

    People who ignore world news, domestic news, maybe advances in tech, whatever


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    #2
    dxhound2005
    Registered Users Posts: 20,553 ✭✭✭✭dxhound2005


    Did you ask her about Madeleine McCann?


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    #3
    Ubbquittious
    Registered Users Posts: 6,182 ✭✭✭Ubbquittious


    I don't know them but I wish I was one of them.

    There is so much sh1t the megacorps throw at us and so much nonsense the government tries to get us worked up about that you're better off not knowing. Perhaps move to Antarctica or some place


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    #4
    wally1990
    Registered Users Posts: 1,222 ✭✭✭wally1990


    dxhound2005 wrote: »
    Did you ask her about Madeleine McCann?

    Who


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    #5
    murpho999
    Registered Users Posts: 28,403 ✭✭✭✭murpho999


    Some people just live in their own bubble.

    I recently met someone who is 48 year old and had no idea that July 4th is American independence day. Found it bewildering as it's in news, films, books etc. How can you go through life and avoid that?


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    #6
    Mullaghteelin
    Registered Users Posts: 624 ✭✭✭Mullaghteelin


    What did she mention watching on TV? It would be interesting to know what she is familiar with.


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    #7
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    I think people who are obsessed with US Politics but show zero interest in domestic politics are worse.


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    #8
    ahnowbrowncow
    Registered Users Posts: 2,564 ✭✭✭ahnowbrowncow


    The last four years the media have been talking about brexit with countless 'informed' people giving their opinion, treading the same ground over and over. I feel no more informed having listened to them for who knows how many hours. Does anyone actually know what is going to happen?

    Covid feels similar, same items in the news every day. Why would I want to listen to hourly updates of how bad things are and the constant fearmongering? I know some people that listen to every news broadcast and they think the sky is falling down.

    And why are Irish media obsessed with Donald Trump and the US election? I'm sick hearing about it. I get it, he's a horrible person who should be nowhere near the oval office but how does it benefit me or our populace to hear about him nearly every day?

    I used to question people that were ignorant of news and current affiars the same way you do but I'm beginning to think maybe they're not so wrong and ignorance really is bliss. If it doesn't affect them or they can't implement change do they really need to listen to constant misery updates?


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    #9
    mcsean2163
    Registered Users Posts: 1,839 ✭✭✭mcsean2163


    Are you sure she wasn't taking the Mick out of you?


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    #10
    the purple tin
    Registered Users Posts: 10,943 ✭✭✭✭the purple tin


    Ubbquittious wrote: »
    I don't know them but I wish I was one of them.

    There is so much sh1t the megacorps throw at us and so much nonsense the government tries to get us worked up about that you're better off not knowing. Perhaps move to Antarctica or some place
    She is probably much more content in her life than us information junkies constantly looking for an update.


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    #11
    Rodney Bathgate
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,445 ✭✭✭Rodney Bathgate


    Is she hot?


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    #12
    Trouser Snake
    Closed Accounts Posts: 348 ✭✭Trouser Snake


    Rodney Bathgate wrote: »
    Is she hot?

    About time jaysus.


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    #13
    Oberkon
    Registered Users Posts: 206 ✭✭Oberkon


    the purple tin wrote: »
    She is probably much more content in her life than us information junkies constantly looking for an update.

    Exactly - thought the same thing . My mother was a bit like that when she was alive . Real family person warm hearted , the things that mattered to her were very important and people loved her . She hadn’t a notion of world politics and didn’t care.


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    #14
    McGinniesta
    Registered Users Posts: 4,402 ✭✭✭McGinniesta


    most people are if you scratch the surface


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    #15
    pgj2015
    Registered Users Posts: 8,945 ✭✭✭pgj2015


    I stopped listening to the news the last 4 days, I feel way better because of it. The media and government just want us to be scared the whole time, terrorists, brexit, covid, there is always something.


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    #16
    Mad_maxx
    Registered Users Posts: 13,505 ✭✭✭✭Mad_maxx


    i know fellas who could take every part out of a car and put it back together perfectly , same fellas couldnt show you where america is on a map or perhaps even ireland

    some people have a small parish - world mentality , they are no worse for it and dont struggle anymore with life than most people , just how they are

    my mother listens to the radio all day and is fairly clued in about irish domestic affairs but has zero interest in current affairs beyond these shores , wouldnt have a clue about whats happening in other countries


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    #17
    GarIT
    Registered Users Posts: 8,671 ✭✭✭GarIT


    I follow the news, I get annoyed, I have ideas on how to fix things, I say them on boards, it doesn't do anything ,I have no impact on the world. Sometimes I obsess over things wrong with the country or the world, it ruins my day.

    I've come to learn; ignorance is bliss. Following the news won't help me one bit and not keeping up with it won't affect me negatively.


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    #18
    ongarboy
    Registered Users Posts: 5,201 ✭✭✭ongarboy


    OP, it sounds like your work colleague is just not interested in current affairs. There is quite a large cohort of people like that. Some would probably know every contestant of Love Island by name but wouldn't know who the president or taoiseach is.

    I'd just let each to their own and wouldn't judge someone about it as it just comes across condescending. We're all different and just because someone isn't well up on US/ Chinese trade talks (in fairness, I'm fairly well read and consume a lot of news but wouldn't be au fait about that particular topic either so I wouldn't dismiss someone because they didn't have the latest scoop on that), doesn't mean they don't have other worthwhile interests outside of reciting the daily COVID stats per country or whether Biden's son could jeopardize his chances of winning the US election.


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    #19
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,762 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Deleted User wrote: »
    I think people who are obsessed with US Politics but show zero interest in domestic politics are worse.
    There's a special place in hell for those who get worked up about politics but don't actually vote.


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    #20
    GarIT
    Registered Users Posts: 8,671 ✭✭✭GarIT


    Capt'n Midnight wrote: »
    There's a special place in hell for those who get worked up about politics but don't actually vote.

    Voting is virtually pointless, the only impactful thing you can do is convince others how to vote.

    I also doing get all the people encouraging others to vote. Unless you can be sure the group you are talking to mostly think the same as you then you should be encouraging as many people as possible not to vote.


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    #21
    Orange Tiny Terror
    Registered Users Posts: 35 ✭Orange Tiny Terror


    It’s a rare thing these days but not so long ago it was good manners to keep your politics to yourself. Maybe she is just old school that way


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    #22
    ChikiChiki
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,950 ✭✭✭ChikiChiki


    wally1990 wrote: »
    **outside of their own bubble**



    I was speaking with a women from work (she is about 38-45 I'd say), who I normally don't ever speak with and it amazed me how just oblivious she was to most things as we ended up talking for ages on different things

    I brought up in conversation about the current Chinese, USA trade war and she knew nothing about about it, fair enough (tough subject

    Then I mentioned trump v Biden, she knew nothing about USA politics or who even Biden was or didn't know there was an election or how long trump is in power,

    Then we were chatting about the hospital admission numbers and current covid in Ireland then she had no clue at all about the numbers, how like?!? Surely people talk to her about it or hear it on radio, TV, news, whatever

    At this stage I thought this woman doesn't listen or follow any news or world politics and maybe purposely ignored it but the Irish ignorance shocked me

    Then she was on about TV and I mentioned netflix, she never heard of it, I was like wtf, you never even heard of it?

    It just got me thinking about people that live in their own bubble and go through life without wanting to or paying absolutely any attention to what is happening around them or in the world

    People who ignore world news, domestic news, maybe advances in tech, whatever

    And she's probably a lot happier than most of us for it. Wish I could be that clued out.

    Ignorance is bliss.


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    #23
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,762 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    GarIT wrote: »
    Voting is virtually pointless, the only impactful thing you can do is convince others how to vote.
    and that can be instantly undermined by pointing out they don't vote themselves

    BTW Michael Finucane the TD for the Limerick West lost his seat by one vote in 2002.


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    #24
    paleoperson
    Registered Users Posts: 3,522 ✭✭✭paleoperson


    Nice to see some of the understanding replies here.

    I do wonder sometimes when I look at or read the news - what the hell is the point?! I mean, there is almost nothing going on that's going to be of benefit for me to know, at least not that I couldn't know elsewhere. Irish politics in particular I only feel a sort of obligation to be familiar with it.

    I'm not saying there is no point, I'm just raising the possibility. What if you were like that Playstation girl who didn't know where Phibsborough was (which I don't btw, but I'm not from Dublin).

    What if you read the paper for two weeks every year? You'd see about Trump, you'd see about Covid, and so on.


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    #25
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 17,381 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Orange Tiny Terror wrote: »
    It’s a rare thing these days but not so long ago it was good manners to keep your politics to yourself. Maybe she is just old school that way

    I feign complete disinterest apart from with a couple of people whose opinions I'm interested in. The main person I would ever discuss politics with is a Brexit-voter so that's not even me looking for an echo chamber either. I basically only care to talk to people who form their own opinions.

    OP, you brought up a US-China trade war with a women who clearly has no interest in politics. That screams autism to be honest. That is a sub-topic you move onto; you don't just bring it up.. It's a conversation about complex tariffs. Then you moved onto an election in another country involving a man most people hate the sight of and would rather ignore. The actual electoral process itself means nothing to Irish people. Then you brought up Covid-19, a depressing topic where keeping up to date on hospital figures changes nothing about one's life. And when she started talking about something she liked, you had to bring up a modern form of media mostly used by young people, instead of just talking about TV with her for a while. It's all about you and what you want to talk about.

    Honestly, it just sounds like you're extremely bad at conversation and cannot talk to someone unless it is current events. That's around the same level of conversation as people who can only talk about football. Instead of repeatedly pushing current affairs on someone who either doesn't care or doesn't care to talk about them with you, find out what actual things she's into.

    It's the most unnatural thing in the world for people to know what's happening outside of their immediate tribe, so don't be surprised when people, especially with the shltshow that is the media nowadays, to go back to basics like to their immediate surroundings and storytelling ie. TV shows and books. We're not meant to know about scandals across oceans, and it's clear the vast majority of people who get into this stuff are negatively impacted by it. We're not made for this level of information you bemoan she doesn't have, and we never will be. I know plenty like her and they're all the happier for it.


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    #26
    Jequ0n
    Registered Users Posts: 6,046 ✭✭✭Jequ0n


    Most people are idiots, interest in current affairs or not. Be prepared to be disappointed..


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    #27
    AndrewJRenko
    Registered Users Posts: 28,429 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko


    Let us know how the second date goes.


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    #28
    TuringBot47
    Registered Users Posts: 991 ✭✭✭TuringBot47


    murpho999 wrote: »
    I recently met someone who is 48 year old and had no idea that July 4th is American independence day. Found it bewildering as it's in news, films, books etc.

    Yeah, defeating that alien invasion truly is a cause for celebration.


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    #29
    Larbre34
    Registered Users Posts: 23,824 ✭✭✭✭Larbre34


    I don't, but I envy them.


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    #30
    quokula
    Registered Users Posts: 3,572 ✭✭✭quokula


    I remember when I'd just finished my masters (living in the UK) and the 2010 election was coming around, I was quite surprised to find out Gordon Brown was the PM and not Tony Blair. That particular piece of news, along with basically all other world news I guess, passed me by in my uni years.

    I imagine people of that age today would be more difficult to be oblivious in a world of increasing Climate Change, Brexit, Trump and of course Covid.


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    #31
    Rubberchikken
    Registered Users Posts: 5,083 ✭✭✭Rubberchikken


    Ive never once paid any attey to these vivid numbers or the statistics.
    In fact back in April listening to others talking about them I hadn't a clue and genuinely no interest.

    I can't bother listening to the news on rte radio. It's be brutally depressing. Rte seem to be glorying in their relaying of the virus, it's effects, sob stories, deaths etc. I can survive really well not knowing.

    I know about the election in the usa. Even understand the voting. I hope trump wins. He hasn't done a bad job and if pi$$ing off the left is all he's done in done opinions, then that's not a bad days work.


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